It is often said that ‘writing is rewriting’ and those who say the sentences ‘came fully-formed’ are either mistaken or pretending. Hemingway’s original phrase was – aptly – slightly different: ‘The only kind of writing is rewriting’.

In this talk, Sadie Jones explores different aspects of rewriting, comparing her own process to historic evidence of on-the-page revisions. In doing so, she asks what might and must have changed with the advent of the computer, and questions how great a difference there is between physically striking out a line, and cutting it on-screen. So, the question is not, ‘do you rewrite?’, or even, ‘how many drafts?’, but, more interestingly, ‘in what way do you rewrite?’